Means for uniting concrete reenforcements



May a, 1924. 1,492,757

- J. C. SHEPHERD MEANS FOR UNITING CONCRETE REENFORCEMENTS Filed A112. 12 1921 Patented May 6, 1924.

UNITED STATES JAMES C. SHEPHERD, or s'r. LOUIS, MISSOURI, AssIenon T PAN Y, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ACQRPOBATION OF MISSOURI.

MEANS FOR UNITINGCONCRETE REENFORCEMENTS.

Application filed August 12, 1921. Serial No. 491,724.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES C. SHEPHERD, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of thecity of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain'new and useful Improvements in Means for Uniting Concrete Reenforcements, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in means for uniting concrete reenforcements, one of the objects being to'provide a simple means whereby reinforcing elements can be easily and quickly assembled to produce a strong reenforcement having its several elements accurately located in. predetermined positions. The invention is especially adapted for use in a reinforcing structure having a series of reinforcing elements and a bar, or rod, crossing the several reinforcing elements. For example, a well known type of reenforcement comprises a number of bars located within a long spiral and engaging the inner faces of the coils of the spiral. These coils should be accurately spaced and securely held to prevent accidental displacement of the coils relative to the long bars.

Prior to this invention, the long bars have been placed within the longspiral, and then secured to the coils of the spiral, usually by means of numerous individual attaching devices. These devices are intended to uniformly space the coils and at the same time secure them to the long bars. considerable time is required to properly assemble a very large number of individual attaching devices, and this is especially true of the old methods, which involve the operations of arranging the long here within the spiral before the attaching devices are applied to the reenforcement.

According to the preferred form of the present invention, the long bars are merely inserted through eyes in a spacingdevice on the spiral and thenturned to securely unite the several elements of the room forcement.

The new spacing device is preferably provided with a row of open loops'adapted to receive the coils of a spiral, and a row of Obviously,

alined eyes through which the long bar is lnserted. After the bar has beenapplied to the spacer, it closes the open loops to con- LACLEDE STEEL ooivrfine the coils in said loops. Thebar is then turned toa position: wherein 'it interlocks wlth the eyes,and thisprevents accidental displacement of the several elements. To

eyes are non-circular, so formed thatthe eyes serve as yielding detents. adapted to. secure the longitudinalaccomplish this result, thebar is prefer ably non-circular in cross-section and Athethese parts .being;

the novel con struction, combinationand arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein is shown the preferred embodiment. of the invention. -However, it is to be understood that the bends changes, variations and modifications which come within the scopejof the claims hereunto appended.

Fig. 'I is a horizontal section through- *a spam metal reenforcement equipped with ing evice' embodyingthe features of this invention.

Fig. II is a fragmentary side elevation of the reenforcement. Y

Fig. III is a fragmentary'view, showing one of the reinforcing bars withaportion and portions of afspacer mounted thereon, of the coils secured by the spacen.

Fig. IV is an enlarged. transverse section showing one of the reinforcing bars and one of the eyes surrounding the bar.

Fig. V is a view similar to Fig. IV showing the bar as it appearswhen it is turned to interlock with the Fig. VI is a view similar to Fig. Vshowing another form of the invention.

To illustrate the invention I have shown spacing devices applied. to a metal reenforcement'for. a concretecolumn, and this reenforcement includes a Y reinforcing mem- L ber A in the formof a long spiral,and bars B arranged longitudinally of the spiral and engagedwith the inner faces of the coils: These coils are accurately of they spiral. spaced apart andsecured to the longitudinal bars through the medium of the spacing device.

invention compregripping eye. t T i To illustrate this feature of the invention, I have shown a long spacer associated with each bar B. Each spacer may be made of a single piece of wire provided with a row of gripping eyes 1 surrounding one of the bars B, and a row of spacing elements 2 uniting said gripping eyes, said row of spacing elements being arranged longitudinally of the bar. Each spacing element 2 may be provided at one of its ends with a U-shaped loop 4 merging into and extending from one of the gripping eyes 1. The coils of the spiral A are located in the U-shaped loops 4, and the open sides of loops 4 are. closed by the longitudinal bars B, as shown most clearly in Fig. III.

In each spacing device, the eyes 1 are in alinement with each other, and the loops 4 are also in alinement with each other.

spacing device to the bar.

The loops 4 extend from one side of the spacing device and the eyes 1 extend from the other side. The loops 4 are open at the side from which the eyes 1 extend (Fig. III) and each eye 1 is arranged at approximately a right angle to the loops.

In assembling the reenforcement, one of the long spacing wires is applied to the long spiral A, the coils of the spiral being arranged withinthe open loops 4 so as to locate the alined eyes 1 inside of the spiral. After this has been done, a long bar B 15 inserted through the alined eyes 1 to confine the coils in the U-shaped loops 4, the open sides of said loops being closed by the bar B as shown in Fig. III. The bar B is then manipulated, as will be presently described, to prevent accidental displacement of the elements of the reenforcement.

Attention is now directed to Figs. I, IV and V which show that the loops 1 are noncircular, and that the bars B are non-circular in cross section. Each eye 1 is yieldable and provided with a recess 5 in its inner face, said recess being formed by diverging portions of the wire. Each bar B is provided with relatively sharp longitudinal edges adapted to enter the recesses 5 in the yielding eyes 1 (Fig. V) so as to secure the The yielding eyes 1 serve as detents which cooperate with the bars B to prevent displacement of the bars and spacing device. When a bar B is located as shown in Fig. IV, it will pass freely through the gripping eyes 1, and after the bar has been properly located, it is turned to the position shown by Fig. ,V.

In Figs. I to V, the gripping eyes 1 are in the form of ovals, and the cross section of each bar B is in the form of an oval. The major axis of the bar is longer than the minor axis of the oval formed by the inner faces of an eye 1, so when the bar B is turned to the position shown in Fig. V, the cJye 1 will be distorted to firmly grip the In Fig. VI, the bar B is rectangular in cross-section and the gripping eye 1 is rectangular. When the bar B occupies the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. VI it can be freely inserted into the eye 1', but when said bar B is turned to the position shown by full lines, one of its sharp longitudinal edges will be forced into the recess 5, so as to secure the bar to the eye.

This invention is based upon new features not disclosed in an application for patent filed by me on August 19, 1921 Serial No. 493,541 which contains claims broad enough to cover the spacing device herein described.

I claim:

1. In a reinforcing structure, a series of reinforcing elements, a bar crossing said reinforcing elements, said bar having a cross sectional shape of varying dimensions and a spacer comprising a row of yieldable eyes surrounding and adapted to interlock with said bar, spacing elements uniting said eyes, and a row of loops extending from said spacing elements and embracing said reinforcing elements, said bar being movable relative to said eyes and provided with means to interlock said eyes with said bar.

2. In a reinforcing structure, a series of reinforcing elements, a bar, crossing said reinforcing elements, said bar having a cross sectional shape of varying dimensions and a spacer comprising a row of eyes surrounding said bar, spacing elements uniting said eyes, and a row of loops extending from said spacing elements and embracing said reinforcing elements, said eyes being yieldable to provide yielding detents adapted to interlock with said bar, and said bars being rotatable to cooperate with said detents.

3. In a reinforcing structure, a series of reinforcing elements, a bar crossing said reinforcing elements, sai'dbar having a cross sectional shape of varying dimensions and a spacer comprising a row of eyes surrounding said bar, spacing elements uniting said eyes, and a row of loops extending from said spacing elements and embracing said reinforcing elements, said eyes being yieldable and provided with recesses, and said bar being movable in said eyes and provided with a longitudinal edge'adapted to enter said recesses, so as to interlock said bar with said eyes.

4. In a metal reinforcement for concrete columns, a reinforcing member in the form of a spiral, a bar arranged longitudinally of the spiral and engaged with the inner faces of the coils of the spiral, said bar having a cross sectional shape of varying dimensions, and a spacer for said coils, said spacer comprising a, single piece of wire provided with a row of gripping eyes surrounding said bar, spacing elements uniting said eyes, and U-shaped loops extending from said spacing elements and embracing with a longitudinal edge ada ted to enter the coils of said spiral, said loops and eyes said recesses to interlock said Bar with said being extended from opposite sides of'said eyes. 10 spacing elements, the U-shaped loops being In testimony that I claim the foregoing 5 closed by said bar, said eyes being yieldable I hereunto afiix my signature. 1

and provided with recesses, and said bar being rotatable in said eyes and provided JAMES C. SHEPHERD. 

